I Am Your Nightmare
by 4fireking
Summary: After Edward and Al's bodies were restored, they lived long and happy lives. Safe in one of the eight safest places in the world, a war making the world a dystopia. After three years a seemingly callous and somnolent boy will hunt alchemists.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemists. I owned the Fullmetal Alchemists stories I wrote before this one but this isn't a redo chapter.

**_Chapter 1: Dystopian Alchemist_**

He looked up at the sky and scowled. Stupid birds, he thought. He tried to save their lives and they repay him flying off with a cheese string. The seagull will choke on the cheese string and die. Did he mention the cheese string wasn't his? He walked out of the mall and saw seagulls fighting over the cheese string in the parking lot. They were just stupid birds.

He had a slender body. His bones were showing when someone removed his shirt, shoulder length white striped brown hair, intelligent blue eyes, and pronounced nose. He came here when all hell broke loose and creatures started attacking the world.

He sighed. He needed some good advice on how he could recover from a_ sleep _hangover. He stayed up in the most expensive suite he could find, played video games to the point his fingers were hurting, and he bought more video games. The video games emphasize why he was so tired.

Not having a car or a driver's permit when you are fourteen years old and live alone is a good thing. No one gets mad at you for your smoking habits, inappropriate words, or knowing how to drive a car already. It would be the perfect life except sometimes it got really dark and he was very afraid.

The world wasn't remotely occupied by normal people. Ever since the _war _people have been staying in refugee camps, and the policy was for them to give them all their money. Everyone looks alike, but their soot-filled faces and the tipsy bystanders were what embraced him every day. He gets to stay in his suite; everything smells like copper, and no truancy. The only problem was the food. With the radiation in the ground and immense casualties on animals, food was hard to obtain. Every restaurant was rundown, the corn stands were gone, and everyone in posters looked like a total bitch.

Believe what heckled him the most. There was no longer ice cream in this dystopia town. No late night movies, no going out after dark, you weren't allowed to leave your house unless four or more people are with you and one of you is carrying a gun with you. Thank God I don't live here, he thought.

Not the entire world was devastated by storm, flood, and war. Twenty-seven percent of the world was rescued by brilliant protégés with great gifts. There was an alchemist who lost his arm and his leg and made metal replacements for himself. He wasn't looking for an alchemist. He needed a god to save him, but the best thing the world had was military. He showboat those military bastards, showing them he didn't need their help.

Remember the suite he lived in? The one where he was safe after the catastrophic events took place? He didn't really live in a hotel. His home was deeper down and mucky. Every day he waked in silence knowing the only threats were urchins and rats. With his brain he made a TV work with his favorite gaming device: Playstation 6.

Being in here reminded him of when he was nine. His parents were always working and the only babysitter he had was a mute fortyish immigrant from a third world country. Basically he was living as a shut-in, barely leaving the house but still getting high marks on his tests. Now school had changed and he didn't have to go there. Everything was perfect.

Then he showed up. Under the headlights he saw a man approach his home. Scary he was wearing black in a sewer. He carried a small casket behind his back. His face covered by a black veil with metal claws over his right hand. He was the man who delivered missions to him, saving innocent people, and taking down big threats.

" So this is where Alex Hawke spends his time." The man pulled out a sewer rat hidden in his black cloths. Alex didn't know what he was going to do with the little rat. Was he going to eat it; gross. But the man threw the rat back in the sewer. " Don't get up in the middle of the night sleep walking. You might trip in this sewer."

" Hello, ugly," Alex said with a tiny smirk. " You must feel right at home. The whole world has gone to shit and you are in the sewers. I bet a lot of half-eaten bodies must show up."

" On the surface I found charred remains and people murdered in cold blood. I'll leave those bodies for rat food. You are the one stupid enough to live in a place where you can die at any moment." The black veil man took out a folder. The serial number was labeled 555-675-1010. " The rendezvous point in this mission is Titan Blackland. More details will be given when you arrive."

" According to this you want me to find a alchemist? What alchemy does he use?"

" We don't know what alchemy he's studied. All we know is it's an element alchemy. He's incapacitated one of our most precious soldiers and is still on the run. There's no way our scouts can catch him. But I'll tell you where he's not…safe."

" And you need my help finding this threat. When I was twelve years old I thought joining this organization was just a giant joke. But you really need my expertise, and that's just sad. What one hundred people can't do you need one fourteen year old. I guess that means I'm rising up in your ranks."

" Don't get cocky, Alex. We brought you here because your powers made our organization easier, not better. We give you food, water, and safety from threats; that's more than I ever got as a child. Now a plane will be waiting for you and I will take you there, special."


	2. Chapter 2

**Credit for this chapter goes to ShadowPillow who helped write the entire chapter. Now that he has helped me in this story I am confident I can write the next chapter by tomorrow. The fourth chapter might be a little difficult for me because I like to surprise myself with my writing. **

Alex found the plane that would take him to Titan Blackland. It wasn't a jet like what important people used for flying; rather, it was a bombed aircraft. Ever since the world had become this stinking hellhole, flying had become a rare commodity. The lucky ones who found a plane at all just had to deal with what they got, and in this case, they had gotten a bombed airplane.

Alex entered the plane, finding a seat between an Arabian man in a turban holding an animal's leash, and a Chinese-American wearing the blue suit. He examined the animal for a moment - a goat, dogs too had become rare in this apocalyptic world - before turning to the Chinese man.

"Do you speak English?" Alex asked, trying to pitch his voice so he didn't sound rude. But it couldn't be helped; he didn't know any other language, and he was bored.

"I was born in the United States," the man said bluntly, and Alex pasted on a cheery smile.

"Oh, good. Do you have a watch?" He eyed Alex warily.

"Don't you have your own watch?"

"I tried having a watch," Alex said cheerily, "But they always get stinky and I'd have to throw them away." A thoughtful frown as he added, "Sometimes they get destroyed."

The Chinese man was now clearly unsettled, but he pulled up his sleeve and checked the time.

"it's 12:45 in the afternoon."

"Oh, good. We should land in time for me to have lunch feast." The man hesitated, trying to come up with an appropriate response.

"Uh, what's a lunch feast?"

"It's a made up time I made because brunch just sounds silly. It's where I eat two lunches. First I eat lunch from one store and then I eat lunch from another store. It's the perfect way to get fed." He looked extremely uncomfortable, and after a moment's pause simply turned away.

Alex sighed and turned to the Arabian man hopefully, but only the goat bothered to even acknowledge him, bleating at him with large, creepy eyes. Now Alex was the one to turn away and he immediately lost his cheery exterior.

This was going to be a long hour.

(-Hawke-)

After experiencing severe case of boredom for far too long, Alex set food in Titan Blackland.

It was one of the few places in the world (other than the 27%, of course) that wasn't too shabby. The town had been built off of a well-known gun shop and soon became a relatively prosperous town, seeing that guns were valuable during these dangerous times. However, that meant that whoever controlled the gun production had absolute power, and even though the streets looked clean, that was only because they had bothered to hide the body.

However, Alex was reasonably sure that would not be the case for him. After all, he was here on a job. But he was surprised to find his employer coming from behind him, from the airplane, rather than waiting at the rendezvous itself.

"Alex Hawke." It was the Arabian man, his goat mysteriously missing now. "Follow me." His face was impassive, and Alex only grew more and more nervous as he was led to even darker and more twisted alleyways than he had ever seen back at home.

"Where are we going?" No reply. "Hey, I have a right to know. I'm pretty valuable to the organization, you know." The man finally stopped, but Alex felt the flickers of fear strengthening, becoming burning hot embers. He hadn't brought him all this way to kill him, had he?

But the man simply took off his turban and pulled a file out of it.

"I trust you have read the file previously given to you?" Alex nodded. "We have new information on the alchemist in this folder." He turned again, now pulling a level cleverly hidden on the wall of a building. There was a click, and a tunnel opened on nearby wall.

"Come," he said, and Alex followed him down the dark tunnel.

Oh, this was going to be good.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3: The Big And Good Side of Alex Armstrong **_

Alex didn't like surprises; as a kid he liked to know what his presents were for his birthday and what he would get for Christmas. Alex remembered a time when he was at the video game store writing a list of everything he wanted and ask his parents to buy them for him. Time at the video game store was a privilege for Alex. In the morning he'd attend all his classes, laughing hysterically at his teachers funny lectures, taken to his private tutor for two hours after school, and spending the rest of his time studying; when he studied he was like a mole sticking his nose in the book. Alex had good grades because he understood everything. So Monday's to Friday's he couldn't do as he pleased, Saturday and Sunday's he got to play any video game he wanted.

There was a time Alex wanted to quit going to school. Why did Alex want to quit school? He was just having a complication with his family. His parents were fighting a lot ever since he was three years old. By the time he turned seven his parents considered a divorce form the major debt his father was in. That was only a partial reason why he wanted to quit school. Alex was just very sad when his dog Todd had to be put down. They said they were taking him to the vet to make him better...the next day they told him after taking him away from his tutoring. Alex had him since he was four; Todd was only six years old when he was in so much pain. Alex realized he was being selfish. The dog was in lots of pain, but all he could think about was keeping him forever. Dogs normally act that way when they turn fifteen, so Todd acting this way at age six was strange.

Alex was walking while thinking about his family and dog all dead now. Alex looked like a klutz when he fell in an indent in the ground. The Arabian guy stopped, spun around and sweat dropped at how much of a klutz Alex was.

" Can you keep up? " The man asked Alex. Alex got up and followed the man through a big doorway with the door ripped off the hinges.

" Is Rocky in already? " Alex smirked knowing the only member strong enough to rip off a door was Alex Louis Armstrong

Alex Armstrong wasn't like Alex. He was big and strong but with the nasty habit of taking off his clothes and showing everyone how big his muscles were. Alex met Armstrong twice. He was so busy with another line of work, this one was just a way to find out information about criminals and put them behind bars.

Alex was approached by the biggest, strongest man heès ever met. He looked even stronger than the last time Alex met him. He only had one little curl of blond hair and a big blond mustache. He wore the traditional blue military uniform. His eyes were brilliant blue and staring down at Alex and the Arabian man. The man stood up and saluted Major Armstrong.

" I brought Alex Hawke here just like you requested, Armstrong. " The Arabian man took off his clothes. Underneath those clothes he was wearing a blue uniform with a golden medal strapped to the right side of his clothes.

" You're not really Arabian at all, are you? " Alex inquired.

" No. My name is Chanto. I am an undercover agent for the military. Everything I do is faked. I fake my voice, pretend to be Arabian because my skin almost matches theirs, and I gather Intel by standing next to them. I cannot believe you told that man all your embarrassing secrets. "

"Was there any part of that's real?" Alex asked just out of pure curiosity.

" The goat I flew in with is real. I snatched him because goats and Arabian men go well together." Chanto rubbed his neck sheepishly thinking about that door little goat.

" That's quite enough, Chanto," Armstrong spoke. His voice was always so loud and scary. The only thing scarier than his strength was his alchemy. But Armstrong made everything scary, even something as small as taking off his shirt.

" It's good to see you again," Armstrong continued. "Have you been drinking milk? You have gotten stronger. If you want to get stronger…I can tell you my workout on the offside you let me coach you."

" No thank you," Alex sweated nervously when he thought about him and Armstrong in a gym. He returned to his usual composure. " I was told there's an alchemist I have to find. Somebody by the name of…Dax?"

" Yes, Dax. That boy is causing nothing but trouble with his alchemy. He runs so fast none of us can catch him and he hardly ever sleeps."

" And why do you want me to catch him?" Alex asked.

"A boy who runs fast and hardly ever sleeps fits your profile. I am sure once you want him you can capture him."

"Major, what makes you think this little boy can capture an alchemist that never stops moving?" Chanto heard laughing coming Alexès mouth. The fourteen year old boy was up to some kind of mischief.

"Because I already captured you."

A net opened out of the ground under Chanto's feet. Alex set this trap up in seconds. It was more than just a simple net. Chanto's arms and legs were trapped by long black rope and collars pulling on his limbs, and the net was made with spikes so Chanto couldn't move his head.

Alex laughed off his mischief out skipping away from Armstrong and Chanto. Alex Armstrong felt sorry for the alchemist Alex was going to meet. Alex Hawke could use a net that way faster than Edward could use alchemy.


	4. Chapter 4

**_Chapter 4: Enter the Air Alchemist _**

The mechanism behind the traps had always seemed so simple for Alex. Others were always astonished at how easy it seemed for him, but really, once you figure out the trick, it is that easy.

The main thing was pre-emptive action. The first thing he had done when he entered the room - he could never be too careful after all - was set up the trap with one of the alchemical gadgets a friend had once made for him. Armstrong too, had a net set up under him, but he'd never have to know that.

And it had been worth it to see Chanto's face as he swung, trapped in the net. Alex snickered again as he bounded through the hall before finally turning serious.  
How was he going to catch this alchemist? Where was he most likely to be? The file had said Dax preferred to stick around the darker alleyways, where no one would be...  
Alex smirked. It was time to set up another trap.  
_

He was sitting by Vlackord St., a predator patiently waiting for his prey. Any time now, Dax would come around the corner and fall into his trap.

This time, it was simpler. Simpler meant less likely to have any faults. To impress someone, the floor-trap did the trick, but for practical action, the simple net trap was best.  
And just as expected, Dax stumbled right into the trap unsuspectingly. His foot caught on the rope, and his whole body was jerked up, now in a tangle of limbs and rope.

"What the -"

Alex smiled and came out of the shadows.  
"Hello, Dax." It was ominous. Exactly the kind of effect Alex always aimed for, to make himself seem mysterious and cool. "You have been -"

"Who the hell are you? How do you know my name?" the trapped boy demanded, and Alex sighed. So much for ominous. And now, Dax was tugging on the ropes, inspecting them for any weak spots. It irritated Alex that the other boy might have thought his trap had any flaws.

"The net's perfectly constructed," he snapped. "You can't escape." Dax glared at him, and he felt the smug superiority returning. Soon, he would get back and this job would be over -

"Why should I listen to you?" Alex sighed again. This wasn't going to be as easy as he thought.

"Dax, let me explain how this works. I captured you, and you have to come with me."

"Or what?" he challenged. Now Alex sent him his own angry glare.

"You really don't have a choice, you know."

"Then why are you talking?" Alex opened his mouth to make an angry retort, then closed it. The kid had a point, after all.

As he approached, the alchemist's tugs got more frantic.

"Get away from me!" he screamed when he got close. Alex winced and got out a can from his pocket.

Sleeping gas. One of the best things humans had ever invented. It worked nearly every time too. This was no exception.

Alex deposited the boy into his sack, specially meant for holding elemental alchemists. Now all what was left was bringing him back to the headquarters of the organization.

Unfortunately, even the best plans can have a flaw. This one had been an oversight, one small slip-up that cost Alex the whole thing: Dax knew basic alchemy too.

The file had been incomplete. He wasn't just an elemental alchemist, Dax was fully competent in all fields, despite his preference for the unknown type of elemental. The sack _he_ had put Dax in was barely any competition for a competent alchemist. All he had needed to do was escape was deconstruct part of the bag, and woops, he's gone.

Alex cursed vehemently. He had messed up. It was such a stupid mistake, and worse was, it was all his fault. If he had checked over all of the possibilities, this wouldn't have happened. Dax wouldn't have escaped.

" _He won't get far_," Alex thought making his move to find Dax.

Alex didn't have heightened hearing or heightened smell, but he had a special kind of eyesight. He could see things for miles away. All he had to do was take his index finger and rub it three times against the side of his eye. There was reasons why he was rubbing his eye, and it wasn't something as simple as trying to get an eye infection. His field of vision expanded, his eyes x-rayed buildings and people, and he saw Dax on the run.

Alex had the right gadget to keep up with him. It only took him some tools and materials to make this gadget.. It was a good thing he was in the market.

Dax was an alchemist. He escaped using regular alchemy to loosen the fibers of the bag even though he was an elemental alchemist. Alchemy was great at helping him get out of traps and tough situations. The only problem with his alchemy was it didn't make him any faster.

" _Why do they always come after me_?" Dax thought feeling angry about running. " _Why can they not just leave me alone_?"

" Special delivery!" Dax was whacked in the face by something he couldn't see. He could only see light and dark, thinking he was blind, but when he rubbed his head his eyesight returned, everything was still shaky. He saw Alex with his feet into a motorized unicycle. " Let's play ball!" he shouted.

Alex unicycle fired a small metal ball at Dax repeatedly. The first time Dax created a tiny gust of wind that repelled the balls. After dozens of them attacked at the same time he jumped out of the way. Dax got up and put his hands together making quick hand signals until a tornado ripped out and blew towards Alex. Alex exit his device, jumping off as Dax's alchemy pushed it into the wall.

" Why can't you just leave me alone?" Dax yelled, Alex stood back up. " I'm just trying to survive in this world. I have every right to be alive as you."

" No..." Alex picked out his swish army knife. Alex wish army knife was different than a normal swish army knife, he took out something that looked like a cross-brow. He put a metal stick in the cross-bow and pulled on the string, giving his prey a sedative. " You don't."

Alex fired the sedated arrow at Dax. It went straight for his jugular. His body would pass out immediately and he can carry him to Armstrong. However, someone got in his business and shot the arrow. Dax was safe for now, but Alex wasn't. He could smell Chimera's. They were surrounding him. He had nowhere to run. A man he despised showed up.

" That alchemist belongs to us. Leave now or die."


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5: Leave Like The Air**_

Jack Thorne Ziegler. A man who always got in the way, a man he hated for ruining any project Alex had worked on. And now he was stopping him from getting Dax. It was just like him.

" What the hell do you mean?" Alex snarled. There was no way he was going to lose to him this time. But Jack simply looked amused, and lifted an eyebrow.

" What I said. I presume your decision is not to leave?" Alex's hackles rose. This man could get on his nerves just with his arrogant voice, and the feeling was only compounded by the coursing anger he felt due to his previous losses.

" Shut up!" he snapped, then lifted his crossbow to point it at him. " You're the one who is getting in the way!"

" You don't stand a chance, Alex. I have the Chimeras and all you have is the crossbow. Put two and two together and you have a dead alchemist hunter and a captured alchemist."

" Don't make me shoot you in the face, Jack. You used to be a geologist. When did geology become...what I do?"

" Pursuing," Dax answered.

" Thank you," Alex grumbled hearing it from the alchemist. " I didn't pick my target but I'm bringing him in."

" No one is bringing me in!" Shouted Dax. He raised both his hands in the air. Ripping sounds were heard from Dax's hands and a large hurricane of wind blew out. The wind blew into Alex and Jack Thorne. Dax made his mistake running in the wrong way as a Chimera jumped out at him. The Chimera looked like a monkey with leopard skin and tiger claws. It roared before scratching Dax. Its claws only scratched Dax's arms as he blocked his face. He then used his wind alchemy to blow the Chimera away.

" Look at what you did, Jack!" Shouted Alex seeing Dax getting away by jumping over a door. The door was high but the alchemist had a sort of super jump. " My bounty got away because of you."

Jack chuckled. He had a creepy kind of laugh. That meant he was going to do something dangerous and illegal. A guy who could create Chimera was someone who has lost his mind. " I have three Chimeras chasing him as we speak. They will capture him and bring him to me."

" What's so interesting about this alchemist that you need to get involved anyways?" Jack looked at Alex like a little kid who didn't know anything.

" Don't you know? Aren't you curious as to why he can use wind alchemy without any type of stone of anything to use alchemy with?"

" I don't study how people become alchemists. I only know how to catch them."

" Did you see a transmutation circle drawn on his hands? No. You didn't see a transmutation circle because he has another way of using alchemy. He's seen the Gate of Truth."

" The Gate of What?" Alex asked.

" Come now. Anyone who hunts alchemists who break laws and kill people know about the Gate of Truth. It's the pinnacle of all alchemists powers. It is the thing all alchemists wish to see. But the only way to see it is if you're in a near death state, or so the legend says. I don't know how he found the Gate of Truth, but I'm going to make him tell me."

Alex hesitated.

" And what's so important about this Gate?" he asked carefully. The other man smiled at him, almost indulgently.

" Now, Alex. It's only the power that runs the entire world. Where you can gain knowledge beyond us mortals. Of course it's important." Then, bemusingly, he added, " I wonder why your superiors didn't inform you of it?"

Alex suddenly had a very, very bad feeling about this.

" What are you trying to say?" It wasn't like he didn't ever have his own doubts about the mysterious company he had worked for. But they provided for him, kept him safe. He didn't need to think beyond that.

And yet...

" Ah, there they are." Jack Thorne leaned forward a bit, and Alex scanned the area for his target. Sure enough, there he was, trapped in the jaws of an overly large chimera. "Just like planned." Alex was unsettled by his casualty. What was he trying to pull?

Then it hit him. Of course. The results were clear already; Alex was simply watching and waiting rather than attempting to claim his own prize. It was some kind of psychological trick... make them think they were on the same side, or to sow dissension in his mind. Likely, there was no Gate of Truth, or whatever it was called, and he had only made that up to trick him.

He made a snap decision, and quietly activated one of his gadgets, so that when the group of chimeras reached a certain point, they would find themselves trapped in a hole.

He smiled pleasantly at Jack Throne. " Well, I can't say it was a pleasure," he said, "but I will have to go now." Perfect timing. He heard a crash and the sound of outraged yowling. " Thank you for the assistance." For good measure, he aimed the crossbow once more and fired.

Oh, sweet vengeance. This time, he was going to win.


	6. Chapter 6

Unfortunately, Jack Thorne had not managed to get the better of him so many times through blind luck. A plan as simple as shooting a crossbow at him obviously would not take him down.

Alex watched in frustration as the man dodged. He didn't have time for this. He had to go get Dax before -

A flash of light came from the pit where the chimera's yowls had originated from moments before. Evidently, Dax had already used his powers to escape. Alex groaned.

He was back to square one, and now he had an angry Jack Thorne Ziegler to deal with as well.

" This is all your fault, Alex! You ruined my big capture!"

" Your the jerk who is always shadowing me because you have no real ideas and have to do but make a fourteen year old work harder for something he really needs."

" I don't need you. I have so many great creations and power all your inventions wouldn't do anything to stop me."

Alex wasn't the only one who had inventions. He took out a small ball with a glowing LED inside. He pressed the small red button in the ball. A loud noise making canary sound echoed in the town. From the window a bear came out of the window and roared ferociously at Alex. It wasn't a real bear; when it got it's face out of the window, breaking through the walls like a fort of toilet paper, Alex saw it's armadillo exterior over its dorsal side, a tail with a harpoon shaped needle, and a long snake tongue. It smelled Alex...his smell felt good on his nose and would taste even better in his mouth.

" Mustang! Mustang!"

" Whose Mustang?" Jack asked rubbing his chin. A gleaming smirk on his face for his chimera pet. " I don't give a seed in a birds stomach what a Mustang is. All I know is nothing can beat my-"

A sudden flare stopped Jack's speech. It wasn't the sun. Above them, a man wearing a blue coat with black hair was twirling his arms around, lit with compressed flames. He soon landed on his feet, and the blasts of flame flew away, exploding on contact with the city walls. It was Roy Mustang.

It wasn't luck that brought Mustang here. Alex kept a small tracking button in his clothes he used whenever a mission was too big for him. It was one of his biggest secrets he couldn't tell anyone - Roy would burn him - but Roy and him were best friends. Roy...was Alex's big brother.

" Five minutes." Roy Mustang muttered, looking at Jack; his eyes furious. " That's how long it will take to destroy you."

He snapped, and chaos began. A large explosion, and a lot of smoke. When it cleared, Jack wasn't there. But Alex's older brother was more careful than to assume they were in the clear now, his hand was out, already prepared to snap, and his eyes were darting all over the scene. He must have seen something, because a moment later, there was another snap, and another explosion. There was a sickening sizzling sound and a yelp of pain, but still, he did not relax.

" Did you get him?" Alex asked. Roy shook his head.

" No. I only got the chimera." A moment passed, and then Roy looked curiously at him. " What happened here anyway? I thought you were still back at that city." Alex gulped. His brother doubtlessly already knew about the work he did with the organization, but Alex knew he probably wouldn't approve of it. And it was something he really didn't want to talk about when -

" Watch out!" he called. Jack had made his move; there was a large steel net hurtling towards them. Both of them rolled to opposite sides, and it fell harmlessly between them. But Alex still eyed it warily.

" Be careful," he told his older brother. " If I'm right, there's probably another trap behind that one." The other man nodded.

His arms sparked before flames burned in his arms. He hurled the fireball at the net. Alex backed as far away as he could in fear of a trap in the net. Mustang's alchemy burned a hole in the net. The only thing that happened when Mustang burned the net was he picked up a letter from the net.

" Dear Alex," Mustang read. " You surprised me by adding your friend. You won. There's no way I can stop you when you have that alchemist around. I trusted my Chimeras to get my wind alchemist. How does it feel to have finally beaten me? Make no mistake, next time I will have an alchemist in the back of a new Chimera and you will watch under another ones paws."

" I's amazing how fast he can write a letter," Alex shrugged. " You got here very fast, Roy."

" Armstrong told me you were going after a wind alchemist; dangerous alchemist. I thought you could use a little help. Thank you for showing me your position otherwise I would've never found you."

" No problem. But now I have to find that wind alchemist all over again just so I can get his bounty."

" Leave that alchemist. I have a something I wanted to give you."

" A present?"

" Not exactly. It's more of a way to help the military and make money off of it."

" I'm all ears. You need any alchemist capturing jobs I'm the boy for it."

" It's not capturing the alchemist I want. What I need you to do is help a young alchemist friend of mine."

" Helping an alchemist? No. I capture alchemist not help them. The only reason I don't capture you and Armstrong is I love you guys. You guys are cool."

" He kind of works with me, but he never listens to orders. He is still someone who is better working for me than dead."

" Dead? What happened to him?"

" He's fine. He is entirely not harmed. A lot of people think he is very important to our business. His name is Edward Elric."


	7. Chapter 7

Alex was standing in front of a short, rowdy-looking boy with golden eyes and blonde hair, and made no effort to conceal his dismay.

" Edward Elric?" he asked after a pause. The boy's gaze flicked to him disinterestedly and then looked away.

" Yeah? What's it to you?" Alex felt the beginnings of indignation stir. This was who Roy had wanted him to meet? This was the boy who his older brother had spoken of with such respect?

" Roy Mustang is my older brother," he finally said flatly, watching the boy's expressions as they cycled through shock, anger, and then confusion. Now, his full attention was on Alex.

That, at least, was amusing.

"The Colonel has a brother*?" he asked in disbelief. Alex nodded, then grinned cheekily.

"Of course. He never told you?" It was just rubbing salt into the wound, but it was one of the things he specialized at.

" Edward, Alex. Alex, Edward." Roy covered up. What would be the point of telling them now? Alex glared deeply into Colonel Mustang's eyes. Colonel Mustang was completely unmoved. Not only was Alex curiously but he was completely mad. " New Message. As you know Alex, your division is capturing alchemists who are responsible for destruction and killing. You have been fully committed because you find all alchemists to be obnoxiously evil."

Alex squinted from Mustang's response. He disclosed his message just like that. If Mustang didn't open up to him just a little more he was literally going to kill someone.

" Edward, your mission is to also find alchemists. Find alchemists and the Philosopher Stone. So far you have been fighting rip off priests and fighting train robbers. This is to help the military capture someone very dangerous. Unfortunately, it would be best if Al doesn't come with you."

" What's going on, Mustang?" Edward said. Not only was he curious, but he was mad.

" As I was saying," Mustang retorted. " An old man was murdered in IronGate City. It was some kind of beast that killed him. It ripped out his heart and all his other organs. But this beast didn't just eat his heart, it ate his pacemaker, his prosthetic leg, and his cane. They found half of his cane chewed off. Another case happened with a forty year old man who lost his arm in a factory accident and had to get a prosthetic arm. His heart was eaten and so was his arm."

" Yuck." Edward stuck his tongue out in disgust. " Your saying this thing can eat metal."

" Yes. Normally we don't ask our men to look for animals but I don't think this thing is an animal. I think it's some kind of metal monster created by a mad scientist."

" With the way the world works you'd think those kinds of things would be, I don't know, make belief," Alex said finding this whole thing to be ridiculous.

" The reason your brother Al can't come along is...I don't want to say it in front of you, Alex." Alex shook his head and raised his arm. He knew when something wasn't his business. " Let's kick-start this adventure. Here are you tickets. Edward, go to the clothes store and buy something for those metal parts of yours. Don't just rip off your clothes like what you did with Cornello."

" Bite me."

Mustang gave Alex and Edward their tickets. Alex and Edward then turned around and walked to the exit. " Oh, and Alex." Alex paused. He turned around and stared at Mustang. " Please try to be safe and stay next to Edward. I don't want anything to happen to my brother."

Alex nodded and left. That speech never worked on him. Edward was going to find out why.


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry it took so long to write this chapter but ShadowPillow left and I didn't want to post this story without someone helping me write it. Fortunately I was able to find a nice writer named YullenStarDust who not only added in a few things in my story but also edited a few parts. I hope YullenStarDust can help me next chapter. As of right now Yullen is my co-author. **

XXX

Alex and Edward were taking a train heading towards Iron Gate City. Edward wasn't really tired since he had taken a long nap before the conversation with Roy happened. His eyebrow furrowed in anger; he wished he was tired, since this train ride was taking longer than he thought it would.

Alex, on the other hand, didn't want to talk to the blonde teenager, knowing that he was an alchemist. He had taken three glasses of water in case he got thirsty.

' _This guy doesn't really like alchemists,' _Edward thought to himself. ' _I don't normally care if people hate alchemists, but if Alex is the only one to talk to right now, I guess I should get his attention and probably start a conversation.'_ He paused that thought for a moment and looked at Alex. "Hey, Alex. Do you have some metal I can borrow?"

Alex only glared at him, and then sighed. He then gave Edward a metal ball. Edward takes the item and studies it for a moment, then rests it on a table. When he pressed it down with his hand, the ball glows and turns into Alex's face. He almost jumps.

Ed blinked, surprised. He then looked at Alex, who still had that annoyed expression on his face. "...So, what do you think of the alchemists now-GUH!" his sentence was stopped by a sudden explosion of pink goo from the metal ball comes out. It took him a bit to get it off, and when he did so, he saw that Alex had pressed a button on a device that activated the pink goo.

"W-What the hell was that for, Alex?" Ed growled. Alex just shook it off and got out some more devices. One was a remote controlled chameleon, and the other was some strange device with three blue spots in a triangle formation.

"I made these." Alex finally spoke, revealing that his tone was a tad different than his brothers, due to him being possibly younger than the Colonel himself.

Edward set his anger aside. "You...made these?" He then glanced at the device with the three blue spots. "What does that one do?"

"Oh." Alex got a strange smirk on his face, "This device is something you put on your cervical spine. It'll make you feel like your life is being taken away from you, but all of a sudden, you feel rejoiced like you were reborn as a higher entity, a god. Fifty volts of this device against your nape and you will have nothing left to think about..." he paused, and chuckled. "At least, until you die."

Ed's eyes widened in shock; he didn't think that Alex had such a dark mind behind this device. He was quiet most of the time during the trip, and now...his whole attitude has changed.

' _What's with this guy?_' He thought.

" You don't have to tell me. We may not like each other but if we're going to do this mission together we need to establish a little communication or it will just end with us tearing each other apart like...like...I want to say animals, but that would be ironic considering what we're chasing."

" Okay. I really like these machines you're making. They sound cool. Did you really make them?"

"Indeed." Edward finally saw Alex smile. Edward had newfound respect for Alex. He picked up his chameleon and placed it against his window. " It pays when you find a book in the library and have the entire day to yourself. Their cool but my favorite gadget is the trap net. My device fires a net as a projectile or lays it flat on the floor to catch someone like a fox.

"Those all sound amazing and I would like to see them." Edward paused. Alex took out red goggles from his jacket that were red and resembled his chameleons eyes. The small eyes in the goggles started blinking. It didn't take Edward long to realize Alex was using those goggles to look out the window with his little chameleon friend. " Why do you need your chameleon to look out the window? Can't you do it yourself?"

" I don't like to look at beautiful scenery. It distracts me from how other people are living in derelict buildings, eating what they find on the ground, and getting soaked in whiskey because they don't ever want to be sober. I do however like to look at beautiful scenery because it reminds me of my love, inventing. You only fall in love once, Edward, and after that you can never love someone half as much as the first person you loved."

" Yuck," Edward said sticking out his tongue. " All this talk of love is going to make me sick."

" I don't know why. I was talking about loving something—being in love with someone is a completely different story. In one hour we will have something to eat. Until then let's play a game. You tell me to build something and I'll make it before our dinner arrives."

" Okay. I want you to build a tiny model of my brother Al." Edward reached into his red jacket and pulled out a picture. The picture was of Edward with another blond haired boy with bangs covering his face. Edward wanted him to creature his baby face, that hair, his eyes, and his clothes. Alex smiled when he saw it.

" Piece of cake."


	9. Chapter 9

**With help from YullenStarDust I was able to finish this chapter. We wrote together on this so it's a fifty-fifty chapter. Thank you for those who reviewed the story and I hope you enjoy it. Also one of the characters is from YullenStarDust story. **

XXX

Edward was amazed at first but then he was disappointed. Alex's iron made small statue of Al was good as first until the nose of his little brother fell off. It reminded Edward of how his brother didn't have a nose anymore, but he wasn't going to tell Alex about it.

"I had never knew that you could make statues like those...let alone devices." he spoke up.

"Well, I've had years of practice." Alex replied, not making eye contact with the Fullmetal Alchemist, even though he appreciated Ed's comment. "I kind of taught myself how to make the devices, just in case they might need to be used to fight off evil." he then looked at his small statue of Alphonse. "And the statues? They're just for fun." He paused for a moment, "Though they could probably be used for weapons as well."

Ed saw the evil smirk on the young boy's face when he said that, and knew it wasn't good. Sure, Ed knew that he had evil plans himself for time to time, but this one seemed...peculiar.

" What else do you know?" Ed asked.

But Alex and Ed's conversation was stopped by the train reaching its destination. Alex looked out his window to see they were in the train station of Iron Gate City. Alex liked to call it the City Of The Metal Eater.

"Oh, the City of the Metal Eater." Alex smiled. "I've been here before."

"You have?" Ed questioned, and when he scanned the perimeter around him, he recognized the place...although he couldn't guess why.

"Of course." Alex gritted his teeth aside from the conversation; he couldn't believe that by having these conversation with the Fullmetal Alchemist, that his attitude was changing towards him. "This is where I practiced building my devices."

Alex was the fifth person to get out of the train. He was happy to once again step on the iron ground laced with a solution even iron alchemists couldn't move. It was all thanks to Alex but it was only the train station that was protected by certain alchemy. Edward then jumped off the train station. He fumbled because of his short height and how big the trains exit stairs were. Why did he jump off them.

" That train ride made my hungry," Alex said scratching his stomach. " Want to get something to eat. I'll settle for some milk."

" I. Hate. Milk," Edward said.

Alex, who had an angry look, and sometimes crazy, look on his face, gave Edward a surprised look. "You...don't like milk?" he then started laughing, because he couldn't help it!

Edward growled. "But it's true! Milk. Is. Evil! It was created just for me to have death stares in hopes that it'll die!" he put his rant aside. "...I've hated milk since I was a a kid, but I don't hate food."

The two went somewhere to eat, and Alex instantly got a glass of milk when they walked in. Even though the glass of milk had no eyes or smirk, it could sense Edward's presence, in which the Fullmetal sensed the glass of milk.

"You're back again." The gold-haired teen's eye twitched, and so did his antenna. "Thank God you're going to get what's coming to you!"

Alex just gave Edward a confused look as he finished off his milk. "You weren't talking to me, were you? Because if you were, then I'll have to use that device on you."

Edward's gold eyes widened. "What device-" he stopped his question before he even finished it. It was the weird device that made you feel rejuvenated after it looks like you're on the verge of death. "...Oh."

"Excuse me, pardon me." A feminine voice came out of nowhere as she walked fast past the waiters and waitresses that were going to the tables.

Alex and Edward turned to see a woman with long red hair, put into a braid. At the end of her bangs and hair, were white streaks. She had a scar, or what appeared to look like a scar, on her right eye. Alex could tell that the scar was a birthmark. But besides the scar, the woman had golden eyes like Edward, but lighter.

But besides her appearance and the military uniform she was in, she was in a hurry.

" Chiui Youngsen?" The girl stopped when she heard Edward's voice. She turned around. " What are you doing here and why are you running?"

" Running into someone I a city you had no idea about until today," Alex smirked. " What are the odds?"

"Oh." Chiui tried to catch her breath, and rested her hands on her bent knees for a moment. "I'm trying to find Ling. He's helping me out on one of my missions, since Bradley isn't in Central. Bradley doesn't trust Ling, because of a certain Homunculus possessing him." she blushed when she had mentioned Ling's name, and could see that Edward saw the blush. Chiui has had a crush on Ling since she was 14 and has known the Xingese Prince since she was five.

"Ling?" Alex questioned. "You know him?"

Chiui blinked her eyes when she saw Alex. He wasn't the happiest looking person she ever met. " Edward do you know this guy?"

Edward nodded. "Yes, but I've only known him for a while. His name is Alex."

Alex extended his arm. Chiui and Alex shook hands. After that Alex explained everything to her. " I am the brother of Roy Mustang. Me and Edward are trying to find a creature that eats metal. And do you know Ling?"

Chiui was confused about the creature Alex described, but gasped when Alex said that he's her cousin's brother. "You're Roy's brother? Well, I am Chiui Youngsen, his cousin. I'm a Flame Alchemist." she removes the bandaid around her forehead, revealing a Flame Alchemist symbol on her forehead.

Alex's eyes widened when he saw it, and Chiui put the bandaid back on. "And to answer your question, yes, I know Ling. He's a childhood friend and my boyfriend." she blushes out of embarrassment when she said that.

' _I can't believe I have a cousin and no one told me.'_ Alex thought angrily. ' _Then again our father never really let us leave our home or let anyone we know in it so that could be a good reason.'_

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Chiui." Alex nodded, and Chiui nodded as well.

All of a sudden, a young 15-year old teen popped up from out of nowhere, and spooked Chiui. Chiui turned to see who it was, and it was, of course, Ling.

"Ling!" Chiui's eyes widened. "Where have you been? I've been trying to find you everywhere."

Ling was the most uncanny individual Alex has ever seen. Right down from his black hair with the ponytail to his clothes he was different and someone Alex wouldn't trust with his life.

" I'm sorry," Ling said. " I was looking at this collection of mystery books and books on Flame Alchemy. They also have this story that sell really funny jokes. But don't worry, I bought something for you."

"You did?" Chiui wasn't frustrated anymore at Ling for his disappearing habit, but curious of what Ling got her. "What is it?"

Ling giggled before putting his hands behind his back. Then he showed her what it was. A book. It wasn't her favorite kind of book. Hers was books on Flame Alchemy. But the mystery book Ling gave her was her second kind of book. She took the book, smiled, then hugged Ling.

"Thank you so much, Ling!" Chiui grinned, and kissed Ling on the lips, without realizing it. She realized it when Ling's eyes opened in surprise, and he blushed. Chiui laughed nervously and blushed as well.

" It was nice meeting you but we are in a bit of a hurry." Alex grabbed Edward's hand and walked with him away from them. " I couldn't stand anymore of this stuff."

Chiui and Ling watched as Alex and Edward left the restaurant.

Ling raised an eyebrow. "Is he okay?"


	10. Chapter 10

**This is my chapter for the day. It means that after an entire day this is the only chapter that I've posted. And finishing it is thanks to YullenStarDust. If you have any questions about the story leave them in a review. **

XXX

" And I'm telling you Edward, we have to get to the highest building in town so I can see if the metal eater show up and use your alchemy to help us move down the building. It's what I learned in reconnaissance."

" I don't believe for one second you were in reconnaissance."

"Well, I was." Alex replied, then looked around for the highest building.

Him and Edward almost seemed to be out of luck when Alex spotted one a few feet away from them. When him and the Fullmetal Alchemist got there, they spotted the two teens from before.

"Why are you two following us?!" Alex called out to Chiui and Ling.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you!" Chiui called back. "I happened to be on the same mission as you two!"

Ling made an A-Okay sign with his fingers. But it wasn't okay. Alex was very angry. " Who told you about the case?"

" Roy did. He's my cousin."

Alex looked away, muttering, "I should've known..." before looking at Chiui and Ling.

"Fine then." he then saw that Ling was standing on the edge of the high building, with a hand shielding his eyes from the sunlight.

" Edward, maybe you should go with Chiui and Ling," Alex said walking away from Edward. " It's not because of my hate for alchemists. I just think you'll be safer with them."

" Your Roy's brother," Edward replied. " He'll burn me alive if anything happens to you."

Alex hesitated, and looked away for a moment. "Yes, I know. But I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." He then continued walking away from the Fullmetal alchemist. He then felt the said teen put a hand on his shoulder, and turned Alex around.

"Alex, you will get hurt out there alone. In this city, there are most likely bad guys around here, thirsty for blood. You'll be dead or badly wounded. Also, what if there happens to be Homunculi lurking in the shadows?"

Alex thought over Edward's statement, wondering if he should agree with him. He looked up and saw that Chiui and Ling were waiting for his answer. So after a few minutes passed by, Roy's brother let out an exhale.

"Alright. I'll stay with you guys."

XXX

Alex was checking into a hotel with two alchemists and one very strange person. The hotels in this town were very large which was good because Alex needed them if he was going to get to a high location and find the Metal Eater.

Alex sighed. Chiui noticed, and looked at him. "Is something wrong, Alex?"

The Flame Alchemist's brother looked her, then looked away. "...No. I'm just relieved that the hotels in this town are very large. I'll need them if I am going to get a high location and find that Metal Eater."

"I see." Chiui had to admit that she felt the same way as well. Besides her fear of high heights, she, Ling, and Edward wanted to help Alex find the metal-eating creature.

"Say, I wonder where Ling went?" Chiui wondered to herself. She couldn't find where she was until she heard an "Oh no!" from both Alex and Edward. Her golden eyes looked just in time to see that Ling was stuffing a lot of food in his mouth.

" Ling, that food doesn't belong to you," Chiui said strictly walking up to him. Ling covered his mouth and shook his head. " I know they didn't just leave that food out for you. Where did you find it?"

Ling made an "X" with his hand, signaling that the food is from Xing. He brought it with him.

Chiui sighed with relief, since she thought that he had somehow found it somewhere during his daily habits of disappearing.

The four then heard their room number being called, and got ready to go to it. Ling still had his mouth full of food, and Chiui couldn't help but giggle. She had to admit that he actually...looked cute, even though he looked like a chipmunk with the puffed out cheeks.

" I don't want any trouble from you four." Alex and Edward jumped when they heard that voice. It was only the man standing behind the counter and a woman who was standing beside him. They were the ones people talk to when they want to register into a hotel. One had a monocle on his left eye with dirty black hair and the other had hair red as crimson. They both wore black vests with white shirts and black bowties.

" Will all four of you be sharing a room?" The female hotel clerk asked.

" No!" Edward and Alex shouted in unison.

" It's cheaper if you-"

" No!"

Chiui and Ling sighed. "Yes we are." Alex and Edward looked at them in shock.

"Well, if it seems to bother the dark-haired man and the golden-haired teen, then we can offer a separate room for you two." she nodded to Chiui and Ling, who didn't seem bothered by the choice. Alex, however, didn't like the idea. He stuck his hands out in a confused expression, then threw them at Edward. His expression clearly said, "The hell? You're alright with that choice?! I have to be stuck with THIS guy!"

Alex's arguments didn't mean a thing to the staff of the hotel. They gave one key to him and another set of keys to Chiui and Ling. Alex was so angry he wish he could go back in time so he could change the arrangements of the hotel.

But Alex knew that he couldn't. So he went with Edward to their room, and Chiui and Ling went to theirs.

Ling had already finished off the food he brought, and was happy. Chiui saw that it was already nighttime, and started yawning.

XXX

Alex didn't head to the hotel room; giving his keys to Edward without even seeing what room they were staying at. Alex detest working with alchemists, but he promised Edward he would let him finish the Metal Eater.

There was a surprising large breeze on the top of the hotel. Someone who predicted people would come to the top made railings to stop them from falling. Alex walked to the end of the tower and used his binoculars to find the Metal Eater.

XXX

Chiui was finished getting dressed in the bathroom. She had on her usual, purple nightgown, and she got into bed. Ling was already asleep, and had his hair down. Chiui wasn't used to seeing his hair down, and felt her face flush. But she went to bed as well, and fell asleep.

XXX

"Now where could that Metal Eater be?" he wondered. He scanned the perimeter a couple of times. He swore that he saw something gray in the distance, but then it quickly disappeared.

"Huh."

May 16" Your never going to find the Metal Eater with that." Alex turned around about to shoot whoever was talking to him with his net. It was to his surprise and disappointment that person was Edward. He was holding his own pair of binoculars. " Mind if I look with you?"

" Where did you get those?" Alex asked.

" I found them in the hotel room," Edward shrugged.

" Don't lie to me. I've been in many hotel rooms and none of them have binoculars in them."

" I'm telling you that's where I found them."

"Are you saying if I go downstairs right now and ask something in the hotel if they sell binoculars they won't say "no"?"

"Go ahead and see." Edward told him, and raised his hands in protest. "But I'm not looking for a stupid argument with you over where I found these."

Alex gritted his teeth, and went back to searching. Edward soon joined him.

" The big problem is my brother only heard about the Metal Eater so we don't know what it looks like," Alex said after seeing a man carving five men in the top of a library. " We probably won't see him until he whooshes through the city."

"True." Edward agreed. He then saw the man that Alex saw through the binoculars, the one that was carving the five men.

" Something like that must have taken him years to make," Edward said.

" It looks to me like he is going to finish it very soon," Alex pointed out. " Imagine spending years trying to make something. It must be rough."

Edward nodded. "Yes, it would be rough." He then spotted something with a metallic tail in the distance, and his golden eyes widened.

"Um, Alex?"

"Yes?" Alex looked in the direction where the Fullmetal alchemist was pointing, and saw the same thing Ed was seeing.

" Good. Now that the Metal Eater is found we can destroy it." Alex jumped off the roof of the hotel. Edward's jaw dropped.

" You suicidal IDIOT!" He shouted.

He ran towards the edge of the top of the hotel, placing his hands on there. His eyes widened when he saw that Alex was fine, and he had summoned something...strange, that was tracking down the Metal Eater. Or it might be to attract the Metal Eater to them.

Edward was not going to do something so extreme as what Alex did. He was going to tell Ling and Chiui about it so they could help. If Al was here Edward would never ask for help...it was a good thing he had a brain.

Edward watched as Alex left his sight, then ran to Chiui and Ling's room. He almost ran into a couple of people, apologizing. He saw that the door to Chiui and Ling's room was unlocked, but he didn't want to just burst in there. So he knocked a couple of times.

No answer.

He tried again, but still no answer. He sighed.

" I'm not waiting around for the two of you to show up!" He yelled. " If I have to I'm going to save Alex by myself."

There was still no answer, so Edward opened the door. He saw that Ling and Chiui were in their pajamas, fast asleep. Ling was hugging Chiui from behind as they slept.

" Grrrrrr." Edward growled as his face turned red from all the steam in his face. He walked to their bed and started shaking their bed. " Your sleeping when your cousin is going to get killed?! Wake up!"

Chiui and Ling were startled. They woke up immediately. It took a moment for Chiui to realize what Ed was saying, and the same went for Ling.

"You don't mean that he's chasing after that metal-eating creature he was talking about?'

" I'm telling you that he is going after the metal-eater and he did it in a way even I wouldn't be crazy enough to go after it the way he did it." Edward was exhausted and he was demanded to tell more about his situation. If only Al was here than he could explain it to them.

Thankfully, Edward didn't have to explain any more. Chiui excused herself to put on her military uniform in the bathroom. After she did so, Ling went in and got into his casual clothing. They then joined Edward as they went out of the hotel.

" I don't know if it's safe for the Fullmetal Alchemist my cousin talks about to face something that eats metal. What will you do if the metal-eater eats your arm or leg?" Chiui was worried. He was something who needed a lot of protection. But at the same time he was courageous.

Ed had not considered that, and could see that Chiui was indeed worried about Alex. "Don't worry." he told her. "I'll make sure that he doesn't get hurt Alex...or try to eat my arm and/or leg."


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks to YullenStarDust and finally finding time to sit down and write this chapter is finished. I hope this chapter is enjoyable to you guys. Please read and review. **

XXX

Alex was chasing the metal-eater. The metal-eater had a leg of metal in his mouth. That piece of metal belonged to a man who had a prosthetic leg. Alex was trying to get the leg back before the metal-eater could eat it.

"Hey!" he yelled towards the metal-eater. "Stop right there!"

The metal-eater ignored him, and continued running.

Alex gritted his teeth; he was starting to get annoyed. "You stupid, huge piece of metal!"

The creature stopped in its tracks when Alex yelled that. It slowly turned around, and glared at him, its eyes red with anger. It bared its teeth at Alex.

Meanwhile, Ed, Chiui, and Ling were running down the streets, searching for Alex.

"Now where could he have gone to?" Edward wondered. "I swore I saw him near the hotel earlier as he started chasing after the metal-eater!"

" Let's hope Alex is not incompetent enough to lose his entire arsenal of weapons against the creature," Chiui said. " The good news is if we find the metal-eater then we will find Alex."

True." Edward agreed. "But how?"

" Ling can find him. Can't you, sweetie?"

Ling smiles. "Of course I can, my Princess." Chiui blushes when he calls her that.

Ling ran around the building to the left. Edward followed him but when he turned around he saw Ling was gone.

" He's fast," Edward said. " Why is everyone faster than me?"

Ling was keeping a watchful eye each time he turned a corner. He scanned the perimeter.

"The metal-eater doesn't seem to be here around this part of the city..." he said to himself. "And he doesn't seem to be in this part, either." he added as he turned another corner. "So where is that thing?"

" It's the coolest thing ever!" A boy shouted running past Ling. He was holding another boy's hands. They both seemed excited about something. " There's this thing this guy is fighting. I think it is the thing that's been eating metal."

' _Is that Alex fighting the metal-eater_?' Ling wondered in thought.

Ling thought more about that. His eyes widened. "It must be!" He starting running faster, having to excuse himself when he passed by couple of people in a restaurant. He then saw a a warmly baked dumpling sitting on a sample bakery stand in a outside deli, and snatched it, putting it into his mouth.

The owner saw that happen, and shook his fist at Ling, who just called, "Fank yeew!" back to the owner.

He almost ran into a wall when he finally found the place where Alex was fighting the metal-eater. It was huger than Ling thought it would be, and almost looked like a scorpion with a dog's muzzle. It bared sharp, metallic teeth.

" I think you can use a little help," Ling said nonchalantly about the scary metal-eater. " Do you need Chiui and Edward's help?" Alex was firing nets at the metal-eater. The metal-eater quickly ripped through the nets. Alex threw coins that exploded at the metal-eater, but they only dazed the creature for a second.

"What?" Alex yelled to Ling when he threw another explosive coin at the creature.

"I said, 'I think you can use a little help!" Ling yelled back.

Alex wasn't looking at him the first time, but did so when Ling had yelled back. "What're you doing here?!"

If Alex wasn't fighting the metal-eater he would kick Ling upside his head for being here. Ling laughed and said, " Edward wanted us to be here to help you."

"...Figures." Alex muttered. "Well, if that idiot sent you, then I'll have to go with it. Where are Chiui and Ed, anyways?"

" They are somewhere in the city waiting for me to report back if I find you." Ling laughed nervously at that. He wasn't doing his job of telling them where Alex was.

XXX

Alex didn't say anything, he just grumbled. "Well, tell them that you've found me, but don't tell that Fullmetal to come fight the metal-eater."

Ling went to ask why, but then he understood. "Ed would still want to fight the metal-eater with us." Ling said to himself. He then went to report back to Chiui and Edward.

"So did you find him, Ling?" Chiui asked.

" Yeah I found him. He's fighting the metal-eater." Ling turned around to lead them to the metal-eater. Edward was walking after him but Ling stopped when he saw him move. " Not you. You would bring nothing more than shortcomings if you get involved with a metal-eater."

Edward gave him a surprised, yet confused look. "Are you saying that I can't fight the metal-eater?"

Ling shook his head. "No, I'm not saying that at all. Alex had warned me before I came back that the metal-eater will try to bite off your automail arm or leg."

Chiui nodded in agreement, even though she didn't go with her Xingese boyfriend to find Alex. "So it's better if you stay away from the fight, Ed." she added in concern.

She and Ling only watched Edward to make sure he didn't try to follow them. After that they went together to help Alex. Neither of them knew that Edward, who had a habit of getting into trouble, would follow them to the metal-eater so he could fight them.

"I have a feeling that they really think that I can't destroy the metal-eater with my alchemy." Edward muttered to himself as he followed Ling and Chiui, almost losing track whenever the two turned a corner.

Alex saw that Ling and Chiui have arrived to help him out. Chiui had her flame alchemy activated,with the Flame Alchemist symbol on her forehead radiating with power. Ling got out his sword. Ling nodded to Alex, letting him know that he told Ed to stay away from the fight.

Just then, they spotted the said teenager getting ready to use his alchemy.

Chiui, Ling, and Alex were shocked that Ed would disobey such orders.

"What the hell, Ed?!" The three exclaimed at once.

" I should be here!" Edward shouted. " This is my mission and I deserve a chance to fight."

Edward clapped his hands together. He used his alchemy on the ground moving a big bump of dirt towards the metal-eater. The metal-eater jumped over the dirt. Edward's attack missed and it only caused the metal-eater to notice him. It was now going towards his automail arm and legs.

Chiui, Ling, and Alex knew that this was bad, so they ran and stood in front of Edward just as the metal eater went to charge at Ed's automail.

" I told him to stay out of this fight!" Alex shouted running with Chiui and Ling to protect Edward. " But it was so hard for the Fullmtal Alchemist to hear he can't fight a METAL-EATER he decided to try to be a man."

"Hey!" Edward heard the remark, and his eyes widened when he managed to miss the Metal Eater's lunge at him.

Chiui saw that the Metal-Eater was running Edward into a corner, so she snapped her fingers, sending a trail of it at the Metal-Eater's face. The attack soon exploded in the said part of the creature's body, and it screamed in pain.

Alex used two small pens that created electric charges. He stuck the pens against the Metal Eater zapping it with a lot of electricity. The metal eater turned around and ate the pens.

" Rats." Alex said nonchalantly after losing his pens. " Now I have to make more of them."

As he went to get out another device of his that wasn't metallic, the Metal-Eater now had its attention on Alex once more. Thankfully, Ling noticed it, and jumped onto the creature's head, slicing it open.

Alex's jaw dropped. Ling just cut off the Metal Eater's head. The creature was dead now because along cut off its head. At least it would have been dead if it was a creature to begin with.

"Whoa..." was all Alex could say as Ling jumped off the metal-eater's body.

Chiui came running over to Ling and Alex, hugging them both. Alex forgot his shock over Ling's attack, and became annoyed by being hugged by his cousin.

" If Ling destroyed the Metal Eater does this mean we can go home?" Edward asked picking up the sliced pieces. " It doesn't look like this thing will cause anymore trouble."

"I guess so." Alex shrugged, pulling Chiui away from him. Even though he was glad that they got rid of the metal-eater, he wasn't glad about being hugged. "I'm heading back to the military building." he looked at his cousin and Ling. "Are you guys coming along?"

Ling and Chiui nodded. "I'm going to the building to inform Roy of the mission." she then thought that over, "...That is, if you're going to tell him instead about it. If you do so, Ling and I will going back to Xing."

" I'm going to see my brother. Telling him I've completed my mission is the most amount of time we get to spend together. Have fun at Xing."

"Thank you!" Ling and Chiui said at the same time.

Ling shook Alex's hand, which was outstretched. Chiui gave Alex one last hug, but this time, he didn't seem to mind.

"I hope you and Ed will come and see us some time." The redhead grinned. Her and Ling went their separate ways from Ed and Alex afterwards.

XXX

The mission wasn't over until Alex got into Roy's office. He had to take a train back there. It was a long trip and he had to sit where he was facing Edward. Alex still wasn't a fan of alchemists. Edward could tell that Alex still didn't like him, but was surprised that Alex was nice to him at times, including when they were facing the metal-eater.

"Hey, brother." Alex said as he entered the office. Roy looked up from his paperwork to see Alex and Edward before him.

"Oh, hello, Alex." Roy smiled and nodded at Ed, who nodded sleepily back. Edward had fallen asleep on the train.

" Found the Metal Eater, killed it, and found our cousin Chiui. It was her boyfriend that destroyed the Metal Eater." It pained Alex to admit it but he was man enough to give credit when it was deserved.

Roy nodded. "I see. Well, thank you for letting me know." he then thinks about Chiui and Ling. "Say, where is Chiui and her boyfriend?"

"Oh, they went back to Xing, brother." Alex told him. "It seems that if they're going back to Xing, that Chiui's not part of the military anymore."

"That's true." Roy smiled. "She used to serve as 2nd Lieutenant here for two years. But when she finally got vengance for her parents' death by killing Envy, she has retired to Xing with Ling. I'm sure she'll be very happy there, since that is where she met Ling.0

It was amusing to Alex how Chiui and Ling found each other and were going to stay with each other. But what Alex really cared about was finding something else to do now that his job was over. Maybe he would spend time with his brother.

Alex got an idea. "Hey, Roy. After you're done with your paperwork, would you like to help me build some devices?"

Roy looked up from his paperwork, since after he told Alex about Chiui and Ling, he had resumed back to his work. "This isn't one of your pranks again, is it?" The last time Alex and Roy built a device together, Alex had planted pink goo inside of it, so when Roy pressed a button, it would explode on his face.

Alex shook his head. "Nope, and don't worry. I'm really not in the mood for pranks today."

The male Flame Alchemist smiled as he finished his writing on one of the papers. "If you say so, Alex. But I am willing to help you build some devices again. It's been quite a while."

"It sure has." Alex smiled. He then turned to see where Ed has went, and Ed had already left.

XXX

Chiui and Ling arrived back in Xing. Chiui was already back into her casual clothing, which consisted of a white shirt, black pants, black shoes, and a light brown jacket. Ling was dressed in the same attire, but his was black.

" I can't decide what we should do now that we are back," said Ling.

"Well, we could visit my brother." she told Ling. "He's with Lan Fan, sparring. He'll be happy to see us back."

Ling grinned. "Great idea!"

They went to the empire building and saw that Yosung (Chiui's 15 year old brother, he's going out with Lan Fan) and Lan Fan are almost done with their sparring, and are about to take a break for the rest of the day.

Lan Fan happened to spot Ling and Chiui, and came walking over. "My Lord! Chiui!" she smiled. "Welcome back. How did the mission go?"

" It was the most fun I've ever had on a mission," he said. " I made another friend and I stopped a machine."

"Oh, nice." Lan Fan complimented, but then her eyes widened at the word "machine". "You don't mean a large, mechanic creature, my Lord?"

"I do, and by the looks of it, it was dangerous." Ling told her. "It usually feeds on metals, including automail. We told Ed to stay back in case the metal-eater went for his arm and legs if he joined us...and that was exactly what happened when Ed disobeyed our orders. It went back to Alex, though, and that's when I sliced the creature's head off."

"...I see." Lan Fan assumed Alex to be the new friend, and left it that. She then saw Yosung coming towards her, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Nice job at sparring, Lan Fan." Yosung smiled, and Lan Fan giggled, thanking him.

He then saw Chiui and Ling. He gave his older sister a hug. "Hey, sis! I overheard that Ling stopped a metallic creature."

" Yes. But I helped too. And so did Edward and Alex. There was at least some teamwork between us." Chiui could learn something from her friends. If it wasn't for Alex they wouldn't even have found the Metal Eater.

"Nice! Glad to see that you helped them out, sis." he patted his older sister's head. He was taller than her, despite being 2 years younger.

Chiui smiled. "Anyways, where are you and Lan Fan planning to go? Ling and I had just come back and are going to get something to eat." she asked this because Ling's stomach just grumbled, and he was laughing nervously.

" We were thinking we trained enough. While you and Ling were fighting for a vacation we've been here alone training. What we really want is to eat together with you guys again."

Chiui smiled warmly. "Aaw, that's so sweet. Well, Ling and I would love to eat with you two."

Ling agreed with a nod. "It'll give us some time to chat."

Ling and Chiui would have a great meal because they got to eat it together. There were some people who could never eat together and one of them was Alex. He was in his home right now alone and feeling cold grazing his arms.

Ling and Chiui asked what restaurant Yosung and Lan Fan would like to go to, and they thought about that for a moment. Lan Fan suggested a chicken restaurant somewhere close to the empire building, and Ling and Chiui agreed.

XXX

Alex didn't know why he was feeling cold, and felt goosebumps appear on his arms.

"Damn, it must be cold outside..." he said to himself. "I wonder why?"

Alex underground home was completely bad. He still got to watch television and play games on his television. He chose to watch TV because it trickled ideas into his brain and helped him make new inventions.

Alex sighed."I wish I could afford a real home, one that's not underground." He shrugged. "But this place is better for inventions, anyways."

Alex finished his invention. At first glance it looked like a metal snake statue. When he pressed the button it would breath fire out its mouth. Alex was staring at the snake when he appeared, the black hooded man who gave him missions when his brother didn't.

Alex looked up. "Hm?" he didn't know who it was until he saw the cloak. "Oh, it's you."

In all the time Alex has worked with the man he wondered why he liked rats so much. Alex didn't know if he knew that rats were covered in diseases but still he pet them,carried them, and sometimes he put them at his food to look like he was going to kiss them. The only thing Alex was sure about him was that he wasn't a rat.

Alex got up, and walked over to him. "Where'd the cloak come from?" he asked the man.

" My last one got dirty," he said. " I don't want to admit it but I. Tripped and fell in this sewer. No amount of washing can fix the filth I fell in...I can't imagine why you would want to live in it."

"I see." Alex seemed disgusted by the "Tripped and fell in a sewer" part. "Well, it's nice to make your acquaintance again."

" Yes. Are you ready for a repeat of your last mission? That alchemist you were chasing-the one who could use wind alchemy without sacrificing anything-he was spotted in Rush Valley."

"Rush Valley?" Alex was surprised. "Why would he be spotted there?

"Heck if I know." The man shrugged. "But his reason for being there, if he has one, is not good."

Alex never hunted down an alchemist in Rush Valley before. He heard it was a place where the winds were strong and if you fell during one of them you would be pushed into the sky.

The man Alex knew was thinking the same thing. "Crap. This is not good." he and Alex said at the same time, and started making their way out of Alex's house.

XXX

It was a long ride to Rush Valley by train. Alex was starting to get sleepy, and the man noticed him dozing off.

"Didn't get much sleep, huh?" the man asked.

" I'm okay," Alex said. " How about you? Are you tired?"

" Why are you asking me this?" The man asked.

"Well, you look pretty tired yourself, Jack." Alex told him, pointing at the skin beneath the bottom eyelids. Jack had dark spots under his eyes.

"Hm?" Jack looked at his reflection in the window. "Oh, I guess I am." he yawned.

" After you get me to Rush Valley I'll pay you for a hotel so you can spend a night sleeping. You can't stay awake forever."

"True." Jack told him, and sighed. "Say, when before I fell into the sewer and ran into you again, I happened to see a redheaded girl and a black-haired teen pass by. Who are they?"

" A redheaded girl and a black-haired teen? Did the black-haired one have a ponytail?"

Jack nods. "Yes, he did."

Alex wondered if it was Chiui and coming to Rush Valley. The first time they appeared in his mission he was happy to see them but appearing in his hunt for an alchemist was not the reunion he was looking for.

"Where'd you see them at?" Alex asked, coming to the conclusion that Jack didn't see Chiui when entering Rush Valley.

"Oh, I saw them in that place where this huge metal creature was killed." Jack responded. "I saw those two leave as I passed by them." he laughed nervously. "And that's when I feel into a sewer."

Alex and Jack spent the rest of their ride not talking because Alex was pondering what he was going to say. Jack was worried that he might've upset Alex when he explained what he saw. Alex was upset about it. It wasn't Jack's fault they were there but for the rest of the drive he stared out the window in silence.

Alex knew that Chiui and Ling were making their way to Xing, and passed by Jack on the way.


End file.
